The State Duma adopted in the third and final reading a law that prohibits collectors from communicating with relatives, friends and acquaintances of debtors, defining this practice as undue pressure on citizens. This was reported by the press service of the lower house of parliament.
“An unconditional ban has been introduced on communication between collectors and all citizens, except for debtors,” the message says. The only exceptions are those cases when written consent for such communication has been previously obtained. The explanatory note to the bill states that the current legislation “contains a discriminatory provision”, according to which collectors are allowed to interact with family members of the debtor, other relatives, neighbors or other persons without their consent and with the consent of the debtor.
“The purpose of the bill is to restore the violated right of citizens and establish a procedure that is binding on collectors and ensures the protection of citizens from any pressure and unlawful influence,” – follows from the note.
The Ministry of Justice announced another change in the rules for communication between collectors and debtors in February 2020. In particular, collectors and bank employees were asked to introduce themselves when talking with debtors using digital identifiers. Thus, they wanted to protect professional claimants from the aggression of debtors.
The law, in its current version, obliges collectors, employees of banks or microfinance companies to introduce themselves at the beginning of a conversation with debtors. At the same time, human rights activists noted that it is impossible to file a complaint against collectors with digital identifiers. The proposal of the Ministry of Justice has not yet received further progress.
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